Provoking the Beast
by miss.harleydarling
Summary: When Raven finds herself caught in the sights of a potential romantic interest, it's all Beast Boy can do to restrain the protective and aggressive instincts that develop. Will he be able to fight the Beast's urges or will his darker side win out? BB/Rae. (not so good at the summaries)
1. Chapter 1

**A little introduction before we get into the story - yes, this is a Beast Boy/Raven story. I know not everyone is a fan and I actually plan on writing some Rob/Rae too (Don't judge me, I just really like how much darker the stories behind that pairing can get. It's in BB's nature to provide comic relief, so even serious stories that focus on him can end up a little light-hearted.) but this is not that story. I'm not new to fan fiction, but it HAS been about five years since I've written anything so um, bear with me? Constructive criticism is appreciated. :)**

**I'm sure the jealous Beast Boy/Beast thing has been done before but it's a topic I'm really interested in. I spend all day studying animals and it's truly fascinating the level of aggression an animal can develop when it's territory is threatened. Hero or not, Beast Boy has an animalistic nature and I think he'd react like any animal would in this situation.**

**I have nothing against tattoos or hot topic. I'm just trying to write how a jealous Beast Boy would see it. **

**One last note: This fiction is rated 'M' for a reason. It contains language and themes not suitable for children. I'm going to reiterate this at the start of every chapter. I'm not going to censor myself because you choose not to read the warnings listed above. I have a mouth like a sailor. I'm not going to write any out right sexual scenes, but they will be implied. I'm big on innuendo. If you don't know what that word means, then you are _definitely_ too young for this comic.**

**Disclaimer: No aspect of 'Teen Titans' belongs to me, including but not limited to any characters mentioned in this fiction. **

It was quiet, for a record store. The owner - Chris - was in the middle of picking out another album to play when he heard loud crashes from the front. _What now?_ He rarely had to deal with damaged goods. A large part of his clientele were of the "undesirable" sort, but every one of them understood that vinyl, and even plain CDs should be treated with respect. Hell, he was technically an "undesirable," considering his full sleeves and piercings. They didn't affect his ability to show some common courtesy.

He peered around the corner and swore. Masked men and guns. Exactly how he needed to spend the afternoon. Whatever. He could handle this. Or stall long enough for someone else to.

"How can I help you gentleman?" He held his hands in the air, indicating he was unarmed.

"This is a fucking stick up." One of the thugs waved his gun around. Chris fought a wince. Thugs who'd never heard of gun safety. Someone was going to end up shot. He hoped it was one of them.

"Sure. We don't keep much cash on site, but I can get you what we have." He kept his hands up, and slowly began edging toward the counter with the register. Reasonable was nice. Reasonable kept violence to a minimum. Reasonable kept the idiots with guns from shooting him.

Just as he put in the code to open the cash box, a green blast flashed through the room, slamming one of the armed men into the wall. His companion began randomly firing. Chris decided it was in his best interest to dive behind the counter and stay out-of-the-way.

Unfortunately his hiding place blocked his view of the fighting but he could hear enough to draw conclusions. There were several more crashes, what sounded like a dinosaur roar (which Chris fervently hoped against - his insurance didn't cover prehistoric damages) and then a high-pitched scream. When he finally dared to look up, both of the would be robbers were unconscious and the Teen Titans were making jokes at their expense. Or was it just Titans now? He vaguely remembered hearing that they'd dropped the 'Teen' as soon as everyone hit twenty.

"Dude, did you hear that guy screech?" The green one - _Beast Boy_ - laughed, tears streaming down his face. His team mates joined in, all but one. She stood a little off from the others, blue hood pulled up to hide her features. God she was gorgeous. Absolutely perfect in that alternative, cold kind of way. Plus she was a badass. His exact type of girl. Chris chalked her standing alone up to fate, took a deep breath and...

"Hey uh, Raven. I just wanted to say thanks, you really saved me back there."

* * *

Beast Boy understood. He did. Being the savior to a city sometimes created fan boy level crushes. But he didn't understand why the fanboys were crushing on _Raven_. Sure, she was hot - if you went for the short, shapely type. You know, breasts perfect for grabbing, and the kind of ass that could catch your attention and make you drool... _Off topic Beast Boy. FOCUS!_

Beast Boy shook his head. But she could be kind of a bitch, and she never smiled for her fans. Or acknowledged them, even. Starfire having a fandom made sense. But Raven? And yet they flocked to her, every single Hot Topic ad wannabe, asking her about poetry, begging her to come see their awesome band play at this awesome venue, even though both parties were aware the band sucked and the venue was a shithole.

He turned his gaze towards his gothic team mate and sighed. There she was, ignoring another good-looking, tattooed bad boy, who was flashing his perfect teeth and flipping his stupid perfect hair. _Oh yeah, your life is so hard. Mommy paid for braces and your designer ripped up jeans. Asshole. Who the fuck do you think you are? And what do you mean 'thanks Raven'? What about the rest of us?_

But for all that she was ignoring the guy, BB could see a small blush coloring her cheeks. And that blush terrified him. Was she actually listening to this guy? It couldn't be possible. Could it? Shit. He felt his ears droop and wanted to punch something.

"Yo BB, whatchu starin' at?"

Beast Boy froze and turned around as slowly as he could, trying to adopt a 'no, I wasn't just creeping on our team mate and the jerk trying to get in her panties' expression. Judging from the smirk on Cyborg's face, it didn't work. Dammit.

"Raven seems pretty into that dude. I mean she's usually zapped their mouth shut by now, so that's gotta be a point in his favor." Cyborg turned his attention to the couple, raising his eyebrow. "Dang, I guess that's bad news for you though, huh?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about Cy. And also, shut the fuck up." Beast Boy flashed his best friend the bird.

"I'm just sayin' man. It doesn't take the world's greatest detective to know you're feelin' Raven." Cyborg held his hands up in the universal gesture of 'don't shoot the messenger'. Yes, Beast Boy was his best friend but that didn't make him immune to a little ribbing every once in a while. Okay, a lot of ribbing. All of the time. But the green bean was asking for it.

"Cy. Dude. I swear to God, I will turn into an octopus and tear you limb from limb." Beast Boy waved two tentacle arms just to get the message across. "And again, I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Friend Beast Boy, why are you threatening Friend Cyborg with bodily harm?" And now Starfire was involved. Fanfuckingtastic.

Cyborg's grin was now bordering on obscene. Beast Boy knew he'd have to nip this in the bud. "Uh, Cy was saying he's-"

"Grass Stain's in love with Raven."

...Dammit. He had to kill Cyborg now. It was the only option.

"GLORIOUS! Friend Beast Boy, why did you not tell us you had the feelings of love for Friend Raven?" Starfire's joy caused her to float into the air. But then confusion marred her features and she dropped back to earth. Beast Boy felt his stomach clench. Star's sadness did not bode well for him. "But friend Raven is doing the dating with that painted man. They are going to the concert of stones tomorrow night."

Cyborg and Beast Boy shared twin looks of befuddlement. Cyborg took a deep breath and attempted to correct her. "Uh, Star, those are tattoos. They're permanent. Not painted. And they're probably going to a rock concert. It's a loud type of music."

"Yeah. Wait. They're doing WHAT?"

She nodded, green eyes filled with excitement. "Yes, he asked and she agreed. They even traded numbers on their cellular devices."

Beast Boy groaned and slumped to the ground in defeat.


	2. Oh, to Be an Animal'

**I was hoping I'd be able to update once a week, but it may be more like a week and a half. I guess we'll see. This isn't going to be a songfic, but they are going to a concert, so expect lyrics. Just a heads up. Again, I don't have anything against tattoos. In fact I think they're rather yummy. Especially when combined with beards...MOVING ON.  
**

**I know Raven is the goth girl but I really think that she would enjoy listening to Murder By Death - one of their CDs has a clear story line, while I'm pretty sure another is supposed to allude to Dante's Inferno. Plus there is a cello. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own any aspect of Teen Titans. No, seriously. I also don't own Murder By Death, and all lyrics included in this chapter are theirs and theirs alone. And I definitely don't own PBR. But I am broke enough to drink it. :)  
**

Raven hummed to herself as she undressed for the shower, using her powers to switch on the sound system in the bathroom. Between Starfire's marathon primping session and Beast Boy's hour long shower (_what was he even doing that could take that long? He couldn't possibly have the much to wash._) Raven had just enough time to bathe and throw on some clothes.

She knew that it was stupid to be excited. Well, as excited as she could allow herself to be. Something was bound to go wrong. But Murder by Death was one of her favorite bands and she didn't get the opportunity to see them very often. And Chris was nice enough – he at least seemed to understand her social inadequacies. They'd spent some of the last week exchanging text messages and he seemed to sense which subject to leave alone. She loved her teammates dearly, but 'taboo' was a foreign concept to all of them, not just the alien.

"So, you excited about your date tonight?"

Raven yelped, and the mirror cracked in two. Speaking of social boundaries…

"Beast Boy, you know I'm naked in here right?"

Man, did he ever. Beast Boy couldn't stop the smirk that slid across his lips. "I just wanted to have a friendly chat Rae. I figure you can't just up and leave halfway through this way."

"I will castrate you with my razor. Get OUT." She was furiously trying to rinse the shampoo out of her hair and soap herself down. She didn't have time to work up the magic to kick him out, but if she could just finish her shower she could teleport out.

"Aw, don't be like that Rae." Beast Boy hoisted himself up onto the bathroom counter and leaned back against the mirror. "Whatchya gonna wear?"

"Why have you turned into Starfire? _Go away!_" Almost done. She just had to shave and she could get the hell out of her. Azar, Beast Boy was being weird. It was typical of him to want to spend time with her but lately he'd been so far up her ass it was getting hard to tell where he ended and she began.

Beast Boy laughed, "Come on Rae-

"VEN! Rae-_VEN_!" One of the light bulbs blew, but Beast Boy continued to talk as though he hadn't heard her.

"You never do anything like this. I'm just happy to see you getting out of the tower for once." No he wasn't. He was furious. Every fiber in his being was screaming at him to chain her up, lock her in his bedroom, and never let her leave. He couldn't even handle being a different room than her these days. He'd even gone so far as to sneak into her room (disguised as an ant of course). She hadn't been in there, but her clothes for tonight had been laid out. Black leggings, some combat boots, some kind of cut off, cut up maroon shirt and this dark grey scarf. Those weren't real clothes. There was no way that shirt could cover much and her leggings fit her like a second skin. It had taken everything in him not to piss on everything so that this Chris asshole would know she was his.

_Jesus Garfield, what in the hell is wrong with you? _Beast Boy was convinced he was going insane.

"I'm trying new things. It's just a concert Beast Boy. Not Vegas. Let it go." Aaaaand done. Raven teleported back to her room, drawing the uncomfortable conversation to an end.

_Damn, I'm soaking wet. Wish I'd thought to grab my towel. _She levitated another one out of her closet and began steadily drying herself off. She sprayed a light misting of hairspray of her hair, tousled it with her hands, and then threw it up in a towel. She'd grown it out of the last year, and while it couldn't hold a curl, it seemed to handle beachy waves okay.

She sat in front of her mirror and began to hurriedly apply her makeup. There wasn't a foundation to match her skin tone, so that part was out, but she did apply eye shadow and eyeliner to her lids, blending it all together into a smoky shade. Some mascara, chapstick, and her make-up was all done. Next were her clothes, picked out by star the night before. Raven had been hesitant to wear something that showed off her stomach, but Star was right. Her stomach was toned, with just the right hint of muscle to it. If anyone should be wearing a crop top, surely it was a super heroine? Besides, it was a t-shirt, so it was at least casual enough to make it look like she wasn't trying too hard. Right?

_Is it already seven? Ugh! Okay, here we go._ Ignoring the butterflies in her belly (surely anxiety would make something else blow up, right?) she teleported to the concert venue.

* * *

Beast Boy fiddled with his holo-ring. Okay, yeah, this was a new level of stalker. Obviously he understood that. But the thought of sitting at home waiting on her to get back from her date – if she even came home tonight – made him crazy. A growl rose in his chest, startling the group of girls next to him. They shifted as one a few feet away. It probably didn't help that he was in a dark hoodie.

_Now I really am a psychopath. Sweet._

His eyes continued to scan the crowd, looking for Raven and her date. Everyone had tattoos and beards, honestly. How was he supposed to differentiate between any of them? He knew they were here. He could smell Raven, that sleepy lavender scent and just a hint of flame. It was the demon part of her, the part she was so eager to hide. She'd be horrified if she knew he could smell the hell just under her skin.

_Bingo. _They were towards the front, waiting for the band to start. They hadn't been there for the opening band. Judging by the beer in Chris' hand and the water bottle in Raven's, they'd visited the bar during the act. _PBR? Seriously, dude? God you're a hipster._

Okay, yeah, it was cheap. And when the Titans threw parties, it was their drink of choice, but the beer snob in Beast Boy just couldn't handle it.

The lights dimmed and everyone began to cheer, clapping hands together. Beast Boy was suddenly overwhelmingly glad for the ear plugs Cyborg had forced on him before he left. He'd expected Cy to rag him for following Raven to the show, but he'd underestimated how truly protective the man was of his "little" sister. He'd loaned him the holo-ring and advised him over how loud a concert could be. The fans alone would have murdered his sensitive hearing, much less an entire wall of speakers.

The guitar and bass line kicked in, and Beast Boy found himself tapping his foot. Damn, this song started out pretty good.

"_I've taken a hit or two, I've given quite a few, I swing my fists and the cities all fall…"_

He was honestly surprised Rae would like a band like this. He'd imagined they'd have screeching guitars and some kind of long haired screaming banshee as a singer. Screamer? Whatever. But he could stand to listen to this.

"_Sometimes you walk the line, and sometimes it walks you. You get quick to anger, quick to put a knife up to another man's throat. I cannot still the hell that's in these hands."_

And that sounded familiar. Watching that douchebag lean down to whisper in Raven's ears, he could certainly see himself beating the shit out of someone tonight. Wait, was the song about being in jail? Shit. That was a nice little reminder for him, wasn't it? No killing in front of witnesses. No matter how much he wanted to sink his teeth into his neck and rip out his…

_Jesus!_ Beast Boy shook his head to clear the gristly image. What the hell was that about? He didn't like the guy sure, but dismemberment seemed a little extreme. He had to get a grip on himself. Time to get a drink. Maybe that would chill him out.

"_This woman and gin, woman and gin, go together like the devil and sin."_

Maybe not.

* * *

The cello and drums started and if Raven had been the type, she would have cheered. 'Foxglove' was definitely one of her favorite songs. She glanced over at Chris to see him singing along.

"_It was always you, it was always you." _He winked, and she glanced down to hide the blush burning its way across her cheeks. He grinned and reached down, grabbing her hand. She knew she should, but she couldn't quite bring herself to pull away, instead admiring the way her grey skin blended with his tattooed digits. She loved the spiderwebs that stretched across one hand, and the anchor on his thumb.

They spent the rest of the night singing along to the songs, and murmuring to each other in between. He even got her to dance during 'On the Dark Streets Below,' but they'd bumped into a boy who'd practically snarled in return, and that had been the end of that.

_Funny, now that I think about it, his aura was really similar to Beast Boy's…_ Raven frowned as she changed into her pajamas. _No. He wouldn't dare. There's no way he'd have gotten out without being recognized anyway and I know Cyborg would never lend him a holo-ring. It must have just been a coincidence._


End file.
